Thursday, July 26, 2012

Meet Jennifer, Grace and Margaret: pictures of beauty in the midst of ashes

It's one thing to talk about "precious Ugandan women" - it's a whole other thing to meet them. Today, I want to share the stories of 3 of the mamas who are in our program. Your help, could provide for these mamas to come to our conference and to get a business loan....but first, meet some women who have become precious to my heart. I think you'll love them too.

(the women from our 3rd cooperative receiving their cows and praying over them)

(stories are written from Anne, my Ugandan hero and the woman who is coordinating everything on the Uganda side :)

Margaret is 50 years old she produced 6 children all of whom are grown however she is currently taking care of 8 children. 2 of them secondary school going her own, 4 orphans left to her by her brother in law who both died of HIV/AIDS and 2 grand children left to her by her late daughter. Margaret is a widow who derives her livelihood from agriculture to cater for the basic needs of these children and their education. Her major challenge is educating the children who have passed to secondary level. The group has been very beneficial to her in that she is able to access and borrow small money to attend to the emergency needs.

Jennifer is 27 and a single mother 2 and taking care of 1 child by her sister. Jennifer got pregnant at school while in senior 4 (15ish), the man who impregnated her abandoned her. she had to drop out of school. While at home Jennifer again got some body who deceived her and got her pregnant and abandoned her. All of them are school going age P.7; P.4 and P.2. Jennifer derives her livelihood from agriculture. Her biggest challenge is feeding of the children and medical help especially for one child who is epileptic. She also has under gone due to breast cancer. The group has been a strong moral support to her and she gets counseling from the group.

Grace is a classic case of how poverty is slavery. She is 34 years single mother of three and has sickle cell. Grace was born with this condition to a single mother. She is a pretty woman but because of her sickle cell condition no man in the village can marry a woman who will become a burden. Being young and like every body else, Grace got attracted to a young man who promised her heaven but got her pregnant and abandoned her. Reason she he could not marry a woman who instead of being hardworking at home, would cost him dearly due to her sickness. He said “ who wants a burden for a wife, who will help me in the garden”. Well as it were still being young and now helpless with this child, grace again got deceived by another man who promised to take care of her with her child. What was the end result she got pregnant this time round with twins. The father of the twins? Could not take responsibility why he had his other two wives so he could not add another problem. Grace to him was but just another problem.

Grace is bed ridden most of the time and for many days. In her condition living in the village where survival is pure hard work her weak health makes her and her children very vulnerable. So I ask her how do you manage I mean the bills and to take care of the children? Well she says, I have made an agreement with a nurse at the centre, when I am sick, she treats me on credit and when I am ok I work in her garden as a way of paying my bills. While she is sick her older child now 10 has to trot between attending to the mother in the clinic and her siblings now 5 years old and all house hold chores. For that time she has to forget about school. What is your strength and hope? I ask her because even I in my walk of life had not come across this situation before yet I was amazed that she was still alive and having a smile.
“ I live for my children and my trust is on Jesus my solid rock” that was so powerful coming from such a frail woman yet very strong much far more stronger than I."

If your heart breaks for Jennifer, Grace and Margaret and you want to be a part of their lives, be a part of their healing, be a part of enabling them to care for their own children - YOU CAN!!!

Each of these women would like to come to our conference....as well as 1,997 women just like them. Our conference will focus on healing from our heart's deepest wounds and believing the truth about us. I don't know about you, but I just want to hold these girls' faces in my hands and whisper to them about how strong and brave and beautiful they are. I can't wait to speak over them their worth and how much our Jesus adores them. Oh wait...I get to do that very thing! In just 2 weeks :) It costs $1.25 for each woman to attend. Click HERE to give towards helping women attend a conference.

These girls are already a part of our cooperatives as you have read. They received cows and have been benefiting already from being a part of a group. We would like to give these women a group loan for their cooperative. This would cost $250 per group. Click HERE to give specifically to group loans!

2 comments:

Brandi, I am a friend of Megan Owens and got here from her posts. Anyway, I LOVE this!! I just finished reading Kisses from Katie, a young girl (now in 20's) who went to Uganda for a missions trip and fell in love, decided to live there and serve God with her all. Her story is amazing and your story seems very similar! If you haven't read that book yet, you may want to grab it!

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About Me

I am me. Beautifully broken, wonderously healed, scandalously loved, me. I am passionate about loving Jesus and others extravagantly and living life poured out. I want to stand in awe and wonder at our God and pursue Him like crazy. I want to live in scandalous grace. I want to hope beyond what's reasonable and watch Him move mountains. I want to be me and let Him be Him and LIVE. I love freedom in the way that only those who have lived oppressed can truly appreciate. I long for freedom and justice and hope and healing for not only myself but for every precious, wounded soul that I love. I am an enigma in mamy ways and don't fit in many boxes. I am me.